Cures & Lies
by Kittehkat432
Summary: (Summary box broken, can't type a full good one without computer freezing!)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: In Your Absence**

A cure for death within the _Mai _race sparked an adverse reaction similar to rabies infecting hundreds of innocent _Mai _with malicious side effects. The reaction started slowly with bantam black outs that lasted a maximum of an hour. By day three, the infection turned for the worst embedding a new gene that not only altered physical features around the eyes but morphed canines into sharper more catlike form. At the end of the week the people that were once loved by many, cherished in the center of their community were _lost._

Alek had to step away from the presentation that kept giving out facts that he had experienced firsthand, that presentation did not explain how painful it was for the person being genetically altered or how _stupid _these scientist had been to think it would work. In his opinion _Mai _were born a certain way and they were not supposed to be changed, fixed, or altered.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" A soft, comforting arm wrapped around his shoulders. He glanced behind him to see the girl with short brown hair, and warm light brown eyes behind him. "Alek…" She whispered, about to get in one of her jealous fits. "I don't know what to say except it's been three years since the accident."

"Stop." Alek told her, pulling away from her touch. "Amanda" He put his hand up, "I love you. I am _with _you, and forgive me for not thinking of the mother of my daughter!"

"You mean the biological mother of your daughter, Courtney views me as her mother." Amanda nearly growled, "She doesn't know that monster, and forgive _me _if I hope she never does." Amanda turned to go back inside to finish the presentation, "And we both know you weren't thinking of her as the mother of your daughter."

Courtney Petrov was beautiful in every aspect, she had long untamed curly blonde hair with tints of red in it. It was an understatement to say that she was the subject of Alek's world that kept spinning, and spinning no matter how much was put on his plate. There were complications when it came to Courtney, the first year she progressed like a normal child although Chloe had become infected within the first few months after Courtney's birth. After that Alek found it better to move on fast, that's how he met Amanda. They fell in love and concocted a story that erased Chloe from Courtney's life, it was safer that way. The next year, Courtney started growing rapidly, she became more advanced until just recently she stopped at sixteen. Her rates are monitored frequently between Valentina and the _Mai _doctors, but everything appeared normal except for the fact that Courtney was as rebellious as her _real _mother. Alek was in a mental havoc, and he would be lying if he said he did not miss Chloe every single second of every day.

He turned to face the windows, and watched all the adult Mai stand up and shake each other's hands as if this was not a complete waste of time. "Alek" Jasmine said with a sad look on her face, "it's okay to come inside now."

"I miss her." Alek said, "And I keep waiting for the day where this is too much to take but I'm still here." _That's my problem. _Jasmine walked out and stood beside him not saying a word until his words sunk in.

"You know what really aggravates me?" Jasmine said suddenly but did not wait for an answer, "That you stand in front of me and talk about her like she is dead."

"Jasmine, you know I don't mean to say it like that…" Alek said as Jasmine gripped the railing, "But she's gone."

Jasmine shook her head, "Everyone may have given up on Chloe but I believe that she is still the Uniter! I'll scream it from this position right now!" She opened her mouth to scream what she believed but Alek quickly put his hand over her mouth.

"Do not give these people false hope, they've been through enough tragedy." Alek said with a firm frown on his face, "When are you leaving again?"

"What's the rush on pushing me out of your life again? I'm not Paul or Amy, Alek…I'm stronger than you even if you don't want to admit it." Jasmine was hitting old wounds with the dull blade of her words. "You think- no you believe that everything will work out for you if you erase Chloe, but the past always comes back to get you."

"If I didn't know better I would say you were cursing me."

Jasmine opened her mouth to say something like _"I'm not cursing you…blah, blah, blah" _but it never came out, she was no longer in the mood to be nice to Alek. He'd destroyed everything Chloe had built in his fury. He'd ruined his connections with her friends and family. His girlfriend had destroyed Chloe's reputation, she was probably the number one reason no one believed in Chloe anymore and those that did kept it quiet. "She loved you." Jasmine said, stabbing his heart finally. "She loved you more than anything and you've destroyed her. I don't know who is more lost, Chloe or the weak boy that is in front of me."

"Shut up, Jasmine!" Alek said finally infuriated, "Why don't you just leave again like you did when Chloe got sick?"

"Don't you dare throw that up in my face!" Jasmine slapped him, "I finally had the chance of a lifetime and I came back! I let it all go down the drain for you! For my friend! If you're trying to make me feel guilty for living my life than you look at yourself. You moved on in a matter of months from Chloe."

"I had to do what was best for Courtney!"

"Lie?" Jasmine screamed as she swung open the door, "You dream of being half the man you used to be! You are just a shadow of a good guy that used to be. It is evident that a lot more than Chloe vanished."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Two Weeks Later**

The early morning blue danced through the cheap motel curtains as the slamming sounds of belongings hitting the interior of an old suitcase echoed through the motel room. _"Where are you going, Chloe?" _she could hear his voice in the room, but she was all by herself. _"Please don't leave, I can fix this!"_ She recalled the way his face was distorted, and the tears the flooded his cheeks. She kept hearing him speak to her, whisper soft things in her ears, she kept hearing an even more painful voice scream over his words.

It was her.

"He doesn't love you anymore!" She picked up the suitcase off the bed and threw it across the room. "This is all wrong." She kicked the bed as hard as she could, she wanted to leave town but something was stopping her. This was the third time she had packed a suitcase in 24 hours, and it most likely was not the last time she would do it.

Part of her just wanted to walk out that door, and leave her life behind once more. It would be easier the second time, wouldn't it? At least she would remember leaving this time! There were just pieces missing from her life and it was so overwhelming. If she had known a day ago that she would wake up uninfected, cured to find that her only love had moved on with a new girlfriend that believed she was the _mother_ of Courtney, she would have shut her eyes once more. That thought made Chloe want to rip someone's head off, how dare he? How dare he dishonor her in such a way, had she not loved him enough? She carried Courtney full term, she picked out her name and decorated her room and by a fatal accident that all becomes obsolete?

But the other part of Chloe, the one everyone used to admire wanted to stay despite the conditions and protect her daughter. She assumed Alek would have Courtney followed, but obviously not since he is so busy pleasing his tramp.

Chloe never expected this kind of hurt, or betrayal from Alek at nineteen. She thought they would raise their child together even though they both agreed three years ago that they had no idea what they were doing. The first thing she thought of when she woke up was that her family would be so happy, she could finally resume her life but instead she had been replaced. Chloe tried to tell herself she would not have blamed Alek for moving on, it was the right thing for him to do. And even though she was jealous, she was not that mad about it. But to replace her as a mother- that sent Chloe off the deep end.

She opened the motel room door, slamming it behind her. She needed to walk the pain off, she needed to cry and scream somewhere else that was not so confined. She just started walking, then running until she was flying through the air- jumping off buildings and landing on her feet. She kept going until her feet landed firmly on her old roof, she closed her eyes so she could listen to whatever her mother was doing. But there was no sound, the smell of the house was not even familiar to her let alone the cars parked in the front of the house.

Chloe was confused but she kept going until she reached another familiar house that did not smell different, that had the soft tapping noise of a keyboard coming from the roof. Chloe stepped on the roof, trying to be quiet- but the roof creaked loudly. The typing stopped, "Dad?" Amy called through the house, "Is that you?"

Chloe tried to move from her uncomfortable position but she made another loud creak, she decided instead of freaking Amy out she would speak. "Amy" Chloe said hesitantly, she heard Amy walked to her bedroom window, but rather doing what Amy used to do- she turned around and went back to typing. Chloe frowned at nothing particular, making a steadfast decision to just wing it. "Amy!" Chloe said louder as she swung herself through the window. Amy started screaming, then she stopped.

"Don't do that!" She squealed, then it was like reality hit her and she started crying, "Chloe…" She wept, unable to say anything else. "I thought you were gone forever!" Amy took no time in hugging Chloe with the tightest grip possible.

"I thought I was dead too…" Chloe admitted, then she started crying heavily. She was no longer an angry ex, or an angry mother she was a nineteen year old terrified girl. This was the last breaking point in her inhuman shell. She could finally feel again, she could taste the bittersweet moments she missed on her tongue. She could feel everyone's disappoint with each tear that fell down her blood red face. "I've let everyone down, Amy. My life is in turmoil! My daughter calls some brunette with a bad haircut mom!"

"Does she really?" Amy asked amazed, "I had no idea Chloe, Alek completely cut everyone out. I mean after…" Amy stopped talking and became pale. "Oh my Chloe…" She looked as if she were going to pass out, "You don't know about your mom." New tears began to form in her eyes, "I'm so sorry Chloe but your mom- she's not doing well."

"What do you mean, not doing well?"


End file.
